Chapter 102
“I don’t like that man.” Dmitri said, the moment the car started to move. I don’t like him at all p>
I knew who he was speaking about and I cast my beta with an inquisitive stare, playing dumb. “Who might I ask p>
“Alpha Kustav Volkov,” He replied, his voice strained.
I didn’t speak. I had known by now just on guard Dmitri was. And I suspected that him just blurting out that he had no love for the man that I had just caught him exchanging a silent conversation with was a way to knock me off his trail.
He was taking the initiative before I boxed him into a corner he could not escape from.
I let my eyes drift to the rest of him. Reading Dmitri’s face was like trying to read a blank page—it would take you nowhere. But his body language was another thing.
His back was straight, eyes forward looking at nothing in particular, the black of his eyes were pin pricks.
You and your secrets
“You don’t say,” I replied, my voice not betraying the web of deception I was trying to unravel in my head. “You remember what happened the last time you lied to me. I had been lenient p>
That pulled him out of his trance. “And I am grateful for the second chance that I have been given. I have no more secrets, Alpha p>
We both know that isn’t true
I let out a non-committal hum. “You could have told me that you were a seer, Dmitri p>
He bowed his head. “I apologize again. I have always been ashamed of it p>
It was not like I did not have my suspicions when his eyes had lightened to a shade paler than mine when I first asked him about Lilith.
“She is chaos. Anarchy given form. She is the end clad with a soul p>
She is the end clad in a soul.
The Oath Of The Black moon member had echoed the same thing. Word for word, even in the same tone—the same haunted tone.
It meant that it had not been some slip of the tongue from Dmitri, it carried far more weight if the Oaths believed it too and it was more likely a vision.
It had been that discovery that had been the nail in Dmitri’s coffin which led him to confess that not only did he practice dark arts, he was a seer at that.
I had not punished him for the revelation.
Not because I was lenient, but because a seer was far too valuable to waste on principle.
Especially one who’d seen that.
She is the end clad in a soul.
The words had haunted me since the moment he’d spoken them. Since the moment I’d realized the Oath of the Black Moon—terrorists, zealots, fanatics—had the same vision.
Which meant it wasn’t just Dmitri’s fear.
It was a prophecy or something tangential enough to not simply ignore.
“I appreciate the lies in there,” I muttered, changing the topic.
“It was not all lies. Lilith is improving at an exponential rate p>
“True,” I returned plainly, keeping any inflection from my voice. “But you conveniently failed to mention her emotional state. The exact thing they were questioning p>
Dmitri was silent for a moment. “I highlighted what would serve the moment. Her capability. Her progress. What they needed to hear p>
“What they needed to hear,” I repeated. “Not the truth p>
“The truth,” Dmitri said carefully, “is that she’s struggling. But also adapting. Both things can be true simultaneously p>
I looked out the window, watching the Umbra Realm blur past. “Her emotional state is a problem. For the Luna Duel, yes. But more importantly—for the Ascension p>
“Yes p>
“I need to do something about it,” I said, more to myself than to him. “Before the duel. And we need to accelerate her preparation for Ascension if possible p>
“High Alpha p>
“I know the timeline is tight,” I cut him off. A few days until the duel. Three months until the next predicted Veil phase rupture. But if Caesar and Kustav are already questioning her fitness, others will follow. We can’t afford doubt. Not about this p>
“What do you propose p>
I was quiet for a long moment, turning over possibilities in my mind. Most of them involved being near her. Talking to her. Undoing the damage I’d caused.
But I couldn’t. Not yet. Not while the rut still prowled beneath my skin, waiting for any excuse to take control.
“We focus on what we can control,” I said finally. “Information. Context. Understanding what we’re actually dealing with p>
Dmitri waited.
“I have an assignment for you,” I said, turning to face him fully. “You’re going to the Terra Realm p>
His eyebrows rose slightly—the only sign of surprise on his otherwise blank face.
“The Terra Realm,” he repeated.
“Yes.” I leaned back. “I need you to find out everything you can about Iris Brooks p>
“Lilith’s mother p>
“Yes.” I paused, choosing my words carefully. “The Oath of the Black Moon member—the one we captured—said something before he died. He said Iris Brooks let them in p>
Dmitri’s expression sharpened. “I remember the man said that. Let them into what p>
“That’s what I need you to find out.” I steepled my fingers. “It could be metaphorical. Could be literal. But either way, Iris Brooks had some connection to the Oath. And I need to know what it was p>
“The records we have on her are sparse,” Dmitri said thoughtfully.
“Exactly. Which is why you’re not going to rely on records.” I met his gaze. “You’re going to her family. Her dysfunctional, abusive, human family who sold Lilith to pay off debts p>
Understanding flickered across Dmitri’s face.
“You want me to bribe them for information p>
“I want you to get everything they know. About Iris. About her past. About who she associated with. What she believed. Why she did what she did.” I paused. “About why she tried to kill her own daughter as an infant p>
It could have been a cumulation of her trauma and postpartum depression but I needed to be certain.
Dmitri went very still. “She what p>
“Lilith’s first memory,” I said, my voice flat, “is her mother holding a knife. Trying to stab her. Saying ’die, why don’t you just die p>
The car was silent except for the hum of the engine.
“The Oath believes she’s the end,” Dmitri said slowly. “Iris tried to kill her as a baby. What if p>
“What if Iris knew,” I finished. “What if she saw something? Knew something. And tried to stop it before it could begin p>
“But failed,” Dmitri added. “And Lilith survived p>
“And now the Oath is hunting her again. Trying to finish what Iris started p>
We sat with that for a moment.
“The family,” I continued. “They’ll talk. Humans always do when the price is right. Find out what they remember about Iris. Her habits. Her fears. Who she spoke to. If there were any… unusual visitors. Symbols. Anything that might connect her to the Oath p>
“And if they don’t want to talk p>
My smile was cold. “Then make them. I don’t care how. Bribe them. Threaten them. Whatever it takes. But I need answers, Dmitri. Because if Iris Brooks was involved with the Oath—if she knew something about Lilith that made her try to kill her own child p>
“Then we need to know what it was,” Dmitri finished. “Before the Ascension. Before we give Lilith access to that kind of power p>
“Exactly p>
The car pulled up to the mansion.
“How long do I have?” Dmitri asked.
“A week. Maybe less. I need this information before the Luna Duel. Before we move forward with anything else p>
Dmitri nodded. “I’ll leave tonight p>
“Good.” I opened the car door. “And Dmitri p>
He looked at me.
“Be discreet. If word gets back to Kustav or Caesar that we’re investigating Iris Brooks—if they realize there might be a connection between Lilith’s mother and the Oath p>
“They’ll use it against her,” Dmitri said. “I understand p>
“One more thing.” I paused, one foot out of the car. “While you’re there. If you see any signs that Iris had other children, apart from the others. Other family. Anything that might explain why Lilith specifically was targeted p>
“I’ll find it,” Dmitri assured me.
I nodded and stepped out into the cold.
Behind me, I heard Dmitri call out: “High Alpha p>
I turned back.
“Her emotional state,” he said quietly. “You know the only way to truly fix it, don’t you p>
I knew.
Talk to her. Explain. Stop pushing her away.
Let the bond settle instead of fighting it at every turn.
“I know,” I said.
“Then why p>
“Because if I let myself get close to her right now,” I interrupted, my voice hard, “I won’t be able to stop. The rut, the bond, all of it—it’ll take over. And she deserves better than being claimed because I lost control p>
“Even if the distance is destroying you both p>
I didn’t answer.
Just walked into the mansion.
Leaving Dmitri to his mission.
And myself to the impossible task of staying away from the one person I couldn’t stop thinking about.
The one person whose scent still lingered in my drawer.
Whose stolen underwear I’d used just hours ago.
Whose face I saw every time I closed my eyes.
Days. Maybe a week.
The countdown continued.
And I still didn’t know which would kill me first.
The rut.
Or the distance.